Aircraft chassis



E. B. CARNS AIRCRAFT CHASSIS Sept. 25, 1928, 1,685,??22

Filed June 17, 1927 2 SheetsSheet 1 Z5 Z7 Z6 Z3 22 17 i gvweutoz,

Sept. 25, 1928. 1,685,122

E. B cARNs AIRCRAFT CHASSIS Filed June 17, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 25, 1928.

m'munn n-csmws, on new YORK, 11. r.

meme CHASSIS.

. Application filed June 1?, 1927. Serial m. 199,570.

My invention relates to improveme ts inand 7 air craft and particularly to airplan to a chassis attachment therefor The object of my invention is to produce astrong, simple chassis attachment for an airplane which is suspended on a wing and which is adapted to swing upward to the Wing when the machine is in the air so as to avoid unnecessary air resistance and whichis suspended by the cable which hoists it and without other means of fastening, so that when the cable is released, the chassis attachment will drop by gravity to its position with reference to the 4 fuselage, and with its-wheels positioned to run on the ground. This means of' swinging and-releasing the attachment is important because when it becomes necessary to have the chassis attachment ready for use, it must be done quickly and if there are fastenings to releaseand more or less work to be done before the attachment is free, disastrous results might follow.

My invention is also intended to produce a strong, simple, practical structure in which when the chassis attachment drops to running position on the ground, it will automatically lock itself to the fuselage of the machine, and will also be locked at its upper part so that the running gear will be strong, stable and effective. f The invention is further intended to provide means for swinging the chassis or wheel attachment into a-pocket oi recess between the spars 'of the machine wing where it will be out of the way of the air, and further to provide means for closing a part of the pocket against the ingress of too much air. In carrying out this latter feature, I-have the closlng gate normally open so as to offer no interference with the free dropping of the chassis attachment and to close the operation.

My invention is further intended to produce an attachment in which the parts are l light but disposed s0 as t6 be unusually strong,

and' in general to practicalattachment.

Reference is to be had to the accompanylng drawings in which similar reference charac- 0 ters represent the corresponding. parts inall views. g

Figure 1 is a broken front elevation showing my improved attachment applied to an airplane. v

Figure 2 is a broken side elevation of the device as applied to the wing of the plane.

understood that the other side .to swing into a pocket or tubes 16v of the framegate requires an produce a light, strong,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a d tail section on the line 5-5 ofv Figure 1. i

The fuselage 10 and the plane or wing 11 may be of any usual or approved kind, and I have shown the chassis attachment 12 on one side only of the machine, but it will be will be exactly similar. hinged as The frame 12 of the at 14 to the wing 11 and is arranged ay formed between the spars 15 of the wing. The frame 12 is made of tubular parts for lightness, and has a top bar 13 hinged at 14 as above described, and this has opposite to it and on the same horizontal plane a bar 13', the two being connected by cross bars 13 to form an essentially rectangular top to the frame as this facilitates its fastening, but it will be understood that the form of thq frame may be changed without affecting the invention. The frgmell5 has two side parts formedof the u es connected by cross tubes 16 so that the cross lie on opposite sides of the wheel 21.

is also connected by a cross tube or bar-17, and on each side of the frame 12 the members 16 and 17 are'connected by the vertical air of tubes or members 18 which act as guides attachment is arranged in pairs to straddle the wheel 21 aspresently described, and the tubes of each pair converge downwardly and are.

Figure 3is a broken plan of the structure.

Each pair of side tubes 15 I fin and form a runway for the boxes 19 of the axle 20 which is wheel 21.

To provide for snubbing the wheel when the machine lights and for absorbing shock, the following arrangement is used. Each box 19 connects with an u wardly extending tube or'rod 22 which at ts upper end connects with a cross-head 23, and the latter connects withthe piston rod 24 of a conventional dash pct 25. The cross-head 23 also connects at opposite sides with the'rods or members 26 connected as usual with the too which have their end portions 27 adapted to slide on the vertical members 28 which connect the cross bars 17 with the topparts 13 and 13 of the frame 12.

. -he members 26 and 16 are connected b a I bank of rubber bands 29-, the tension of which is opposite to that of the dash pot piston, and it will of course be understood that springs might besubstitu ted for the bands 29, but the latter are better inpr'acti'ce. .Thus itwill be I top.

seen that with the landing shock the action causes the boxes 19 to move-up against the pressure of the piston rod 24 in the dash pot 25 and against the tension of the spring elements 29 so that these elmeents and the piston in the dash pot act in the customary snubbing way against each other so as to absorb the excessive shock of landing. This action of opposed spring and dash pot is old but the particular arrangement I show is believed to be novel.

When the chassis attachment swings down into position to run on the ground it mustbe very substantially held on account of the strain upon it, and to this end I provide for locking it from its free end and also at the To this end I arrange on the side next to the fuselage 10, a brace which is preferably in the form of a tripod 30 as shown, comprising tubular members 32 and 31 connecting. respectively with ners of the frame 12 and with the cross bar 17 on the inner part of the frame. These members 31 and 32 merge attheir outer ends in a socket member 33 which swings intoengagement with a stud 34 on the fuselage, and the stud is disposed substantially inthe arc represented by the swing of the frame 12 so that the socket 34 will automatically swing to position over the stud. Any suitable latching or automatic locking attachment can be used to fasten the parts 33 and 34 together. I have shown the stud 34 provided with a lateral hole 35 to receive the bolt 36 which slides in a housing and in the wall of the'member 33, and is normally pressed by spring 38 so as to engage or enter the hole 35 at its outer end. The bolt 36 is provided with a ring 39 or equivalent means to facilitate fastening a cord or cable thereto so that when the frame 12 is to be swung upward and outward the the spring bolt 36 cable may be pulled and side lock tends to released. The foregoing hold the chassis attachment, that is the frame 12 and connected partsin running position, and to further stilfen the connection I employ bolts 40 which are held-in keepers 41 and Thus the frame will be I swing upward. I

are spring pressed in the customary manner so that as the frame 12 drops downward it will pass between the bolts 40 and these will spring into position over the outer top part of the frame and lock it in running position. locked on thelower and inner side and also at the upper and outer portion and will be very rigidly held. The bolts 40- have meansatgtheir outer ends as shown at 41 to facilitate connection with a cable 42 by which the bolts ward to release the frame 12 and permit it to have shown cables 42 for but an suitable means The mine 12 can be swung upward by the cable 43 which I have shown running over suitable guides 44 in Figure 1. I have not shown mdetail the moving the .bolts, can be employed.

I under part of the lower cor-.

the way and the gravity swinging into position to have the can be pulledoutcable arrangement: for moving the several parts because it will be understood that these can be arranged in a great many different ways but the cable 43 is the ment to swing into the bay between the spars 1 15 and the opening 45 can be closed in part by the gate 46. This is normally, held open by a spring 47 connecting with a stud 48 on the gate and with a stud 49 on the the wing so that unless the gate is purposely closed it will be open to permit the chassis attachment to drop and if the cable 51' gate will slidebpen; It will be easily understood that the cables 51 and 43 ,can be moved at one operation and released at one operation. The 'gate is closed by the swinging arms 50', one of which connects with the cable 51 and these arms abiit with plates '51 on the gate 46 and they are connected to a shaft 52 which is pivoted between the spars 15 of the wing. A cable 51' is pulled, the arms 50 will swing against the gate against the tension of the spring 47, and when the arms and'cable are released, the spring will force the gate open.

Assuming that the chassis attachment is swung upward as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1, it will will be out of the way of the wing and the ocket in which it lies will be partly closed y the gate 46, but as the cables 43 and 51 are be seen that the attachment however,

which controls it is released the Thus it will be seen that when the abutment or plates 51 to close the I released the gate moves automatically out of chassis attachment drops by socket member 34 locked to the stud 33 on the fuselage 10, that'the bolts 40 automatically engage the up er top portion of the frame 12, andthat the c iassis is therefore instantly and automatically in positionfor use.

I claim:

1. An airplane having a chassis attachment hinged to swing between the wing and the side of the fuselage ,of the airplane, and automatic locking means acting wh en the chassis attachment swings downward and dis- .posed to fasten the lower inner portion of the attachment to the fuselage and the upper outer portion to the wing.

2. An air lane having a chassis attachment hinged to the wing of 'the airplane'and arranged to swing into a pocket in the under side of the wing and 'to swing downward a position along side th' fuselage, and lockm 8 means acting to lock the free part of the ill) mamas .ment which when released permits the gate to open and the chassis attachment to drop.

4. The combination with an airplane having a fuselage and a wing with a pocket therein, of a self opening gate normally held to closing a part of the pocket, a chassisattachment hinged to the wing and adapted to swing into the pocket, and means for swinging up the chassiS attachment and releasing the gate to permit it to open.

5. The combination with an airplane fuselage I and wing, the latter halving-- a pocket therein, of achassis attachment hinged in the wing and adaptedto swing into the pocket and also to swing down opposite the fuselage, a brace on the inner free part of the attachment adapted" to automatically lock against the fuselage, and a locking attachment for securing the upper outer part of the chassis to the wing,

6. The combination with an'airpIane having a fuselage and a wing, with a. pocket in the wing, of a chassis frame hinged at its upper inner parts to the wing and adapted to swing downward opposite the side of the fuselage,

means for automatically locking the frameto the fuselage, and locking attachments auto of the frame when the latter is swung downward.

7. The combination with an airplane having a fuselage and a wing with parallel spars therein, of a chassis frame pivoted betweenthe pair of spars and arranged to swing into the bay between the spars and to drop to position along side the fuselage, releasable means for suspending the free part of the chassis attachment between the spars, a self opening gate to partly close the bay in response to the same releasing means asthe chassis and automatic means for fastening the chassis in its dropped or running position.

8. The combination with an airplane having a fuselage and a wing, of a swinging chassis frame pivoted to swing into a recess in the wing and adapted to drop into running position, means for automatically locking the said frame to the fuselage when the frame is dropped,'a wheel mounted in vertically sliding boxes in the frame, a cross head connected to the boxes, yielding means retarding the upwardmovement of the cross head, and a dash pot above and connected to the cross head.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name,;to this specification this 3rd day of June, 1927.

EDMUND B. onnus 35 matically engaging the upper outer portions 

